On this date, December 9th, two years ago, the entire course of my life changed. For three and half years I had been in a cubicle wondering if Corporate America was really where I would be for the rest of my life. The thought kept me in bed most mornings.
During that time I had gone from enjoying the reprieve from retail banking when I was first hired, to quickly being elevated to a position of great responsibility that I began to loathe. The longer I was there, the more I began to see the writing on the wall for me in this career. The trouble was I had no idea where to go or what to do. I had bounced from job to job so many times that this three and half year period was the longest I had ever been in one job. Sad, I know.
It had become increasingly clear to me that this job was not where I was supposed to be. But without any clear direction, I began to spiral mentally and emotionally. That was until, through a number of divine appointments, I spoke with a friend who had recently gotten into Real Estate.
The prospect of being a real estate agent and being completely reliant on commission seemed dreadfully scary at first. Plus I never could see myself as much of a sales-y kind of guy. But the more I thought and prayed about it, the more it seemed that this type of career could help me to use all of my gifts and talents, and provide for my family in the process.
I’ve always considered working for myself but since I had no trade skills and hadn’t invented a product, I pretty much figured I was out of luck, but a career in real estate is much different. I essentially run my own business and I can choose to run it however I want. It seemed like a win-win for me and my family.
For me, I could finally be able to work independently and not be hampered by other people’s lack of performance to determine my living wage. I could also have more time flexibility to pursue the things that I’m most passionate about. For my family, they would get to enjoy a husband and father who was not depressed and filled with anxiety every waking minute of the day.
There were a lot of factors that played into my decision to leave my corporate job behind. In fact, I outlined them in the very first episode of the podcast over a year ago. You can also read about it in a blog post I wrote called, “Why I Walked Away from a Steady Paycheck or “The Day I Went Nuts.” But today, I don’t want to rehash all of that stuff. Today, I want to celebrate.
What am I celebrating?
Two years ago today, I passed the Real Estate exam on the first try. Two years ago today, a door opened to a world I didn’t know existed. Two years ago today, I learned something about myself that I never knew before.
Now don’t get me wrong, I had a lot of missteps in my first year. So much so that I had to hit the reset button going into year two. But this past year, I have grown both personally and professionally so much. I have invested in myself and the returns are priceless. Not in the material sense. I don’t care about that. What I mean is that I have discovered just how much I have to offer the world and I can’t wait to see what year three will bring.
Real Estate has allowed me to meet people I never would have met. It has inspired me to apply myself to diligent work in a way I never thought possible. I launched a podcast, wrote a book, and am working on another one. Sure, I do things differently than most, but that is what makes this career my own. That is what attracted me to it in the first place. And I truly believe that there is something out there for you that makes you feel the same way.
If you feel stuck where you are right now, there is hope. Let me encourage you to spend some time figuring why you feel that way. Maybe it is time for you to make a change. Tomorrow is my birthday, and I wanted to leave you with this older post called “The Two Most Important Days In A Person’s Life.”
Hopefully, it will help you figure out what you were created to do. And once you do, I encourage you to download my free guide, “Six Words That’ll Turn Your Passion Into Your Purpose.”
Let’s rock 2017 together!
Godspeed,
Geoff
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